


Dragon Feathers

by Nethvester



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:42:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nethvester/pseuds/Nethvester
Relationships: Asami Ryuichi/Takaba Akihito
Comments: 5
Kudos: 101





	Dragon Feathers

_Travel to the east my son._

_Search among the bright feathers of autumn._

_There you shall find Sion’s light._

_A sun to your moon it shall be,_

_But protect it well my son._

_Should the azure sun be extinguished Sion will fall._

_Remember, son, freedom has a cost_

_Its meaning lost to men’s words_

_And darkness always seeks to cover all._

_Travel to the east my son._

Asami jerked awake as the whisper of his father’s words filtered through his waking moments. He sat up onto the edge of the strange bed. It, more than any other object in the Bashè castle, reminded him just how far from home he was. The oil lamps had burned low and it was into darkness that he stared trying to understand the dream.

He’d seen nothing in his mind’s eye, but his father’s voice still echoed through his mind even as his brain shook the last of sleep away. So it was with perfect clarity that he answered the suddenly hard urgent knock up on his chamber door, “Your majesty! Your majesty!”

His brain jarred at the address and his hunting cat jerked awake with a loud growl. The midnight visit could only mean one thing. He swallowed the sudden tears gathering and called out “Enter!”

A Sion servant rushed into the room and fell into full seiza while thrusting a rolled parchment at him.

Asami nearly hesitated as he reached for it. The scroll was tiny and obviously retrieved from a messenger hawk. Kage, the black jaguar that had been his personal companion and friend since he’d been twelve pressed into his side further frightening the servant as Asami rolled the message open.

_“Assassination. Emperor Asami Ryujin. August 5 th. Takaba treachery! Beware!”_

Kage joined the dragon’s roar.

\----------------------------------------

Akihito took a deep breath as he slowly walked towards the double doors of his grandfather’s office. The corridor was so silent the swish of his kimono and tabi could be heard as he moved down the long wooden corridor past the many shogi screened rooms that served as offices for the auxiliary staff seeing to the day to day running of Sutāfaiyā.

Those offices were empty now all hands sent to the front lines of the war his father had started nearly six years ago when the potential pain and suffering of the people had been forgotten in a moment of jealous rage. Akihito paused before sliding the doors apart. He wasn’t supposed to be here either.

He was supposed to be with his sibling boarding a boat to Ruska and his father’s people. He was unworried he’d miss the boat. He and his elder brother, Shu, had never gotten along. Shu often expressed that Akihito’s existence was a curse to the Takabas.

Akihito knew that it was because Shu was not in line for the throne that spurred his hateful words. Shu was Alpha and as the oldest son, bastard or not, of the Takaba family he felt he should be the next in line. The Takabas had only produced Omegas in recent generations. Anyone else, as Shu was wont to remind him, was far superior to having an omega on the throne. However, laws older than the current prejudices placed Akihito as the crown prince above and before his own birth father.

The Takaba line could only be passed to a male blood relative of the previous ruler. His grandfather’s queen had only produced females. In an attempt to bring Alphas back to his blood line his grandfather had mated his eldest daughter to the oldest bastard son of his Rusk allies.

It was an advantageous arrangement for both the Rusk rulers and the Takabas. The Rusk were able to send a troublesome alpha bastard to another country and the Takabas got an influx of blood to refresh their connection to Urath even if it was from a wolf.

The trade had not quiet garnered what his grandfather had hoped though. Akihito was a rare phoenix with his blend of blue, white and silver feathers, however he was an Omega. His mother and younger alpha brother had died in birth while his father had been off sleeping his way through the Sion court.

Sutāfaiyā had suffered since that day. The phoenix were blamed for bringing the wolf to the island’s shores and sending the traitorous beast into the dragon’s lair. The ruler of Sion had formally declared war upon Sutāfaiyā less than two months after the Sion Emperor had died.

It had been a long bloody war with both sides suffering under the yoke of battle. Neither side gaining much ground until a little over nine months ago when someone had leaked vital information to the Sion generals allowing them to break the magical protections his grandfather had always maintained about their lands. It was a skill Akihito did not have and the backlash of breaking the enchantments had severely wounded his only living blood relative.

Now, when his grandfather had ordered his people to flee the Sion invaders, he stood in front of the man’s office. He knew the elder Takaba would not be in the throne room. That was for ceremony and only used when tradition dictated it must be. His grandfather had run their kingdom from the small, low desk beyond the sliding doors in front of which he stood.

He should have told his grandfather of the dreams years ago. He should have made the connection to the invading armies long before his people had been forced to flee but he was omega and females and omega did not have the give of seeing.

It was only in the past few weeks that his dream had made any real sense anyway. For what rational mind would believe that a dragon would guard and protect a phoenix. The large shadowy beast that had haunted his dreams from a young age had finally crystalized in the large black scaled golden eyed dragon that had first led Akihito to his current plan. It was the dark gold lightening that had beaten back the grey shapes dancing on the edges of his flame that had revealed the dragon’s identity.

Bracing himself for his grandfather’s anger Akihito slid open the doors, “Your majesty, I must beg a moment of your time.”

The room was dark and silent. There behind a low table usually covered in parchment, quills, ink pots, and wax seals sat the King of the Sutāfaiyā. He was slumped over and pallid with death.

Akihito approached slowly, praying that he was mistaken. His grandfather, a large man with shoulders spanning nearly twice that of his own, was diminished. He looked far older than Akihito ever remembered him looking.

He stopped on the near side of the low table refusing to touch his grandfather’s body. He looked at the table in an effort to control the tears streaming down his cheeks. There lay two pieces of parchment. One was rolled up to Sion’s thick wax seal; the other was penned with his name in his grandfather’s thin scrawl.

He picked up the letter from his grandfather first.

_Akihito,_

_You will never know how proud I am you are not an Alpha. The elders believe you to be weak because of your designation and cannot see the strength of your fire._

_You were never told the results of your birth vision. Your blood father was not there, his promiscuity long established before your birth, and neither your mother nor I willing for the vision to be imparted. It was only fortune that allowed us to lean upon the old laws around omgeas that kept it from your father and the public eye._

_I remember holding you in my arms as the seer chanted. You were fussy, uable to be still, and irritated at being bound by the traditional royal wrap. That is a trait you’ve never outgrown. I pray you never do. Tradition should be the foundation upon which a nation is built not the walls enclosing it._

_Know Akihito that as you read this Sion’s forces are breaching the city walls. I ordered the retreat of our forces when I ordered the city evacuated. Only you stand between the darkness at our door and the destruction of our people. For while it was the elder Arbotov I brought into our lives that betrayed Emperor Asami’s trust his son has betrayed ours._

_Do not seek revenge upon Shu, his fate is not for you to decide. However, the fate of your remaining people still rests upon your shoulders and that is why I am proud you are Omega._

_People perceive you to be weak because of your designation. Smaller than alphas of both genders and thin like the willow rather than thick like the oak. They do not understand that the mighty oak is often felled by the ferocious winds that can rip through our lives while the dainty willow survives. It bends and twists with the storms and though often bruised and battered it continues to stands once the winds still._

_I always thought your mother might have been a seer had our traditions allowed it. She named you long before your phoenix reviled its azure fire. You are both bright and beautiful._

_Not that you ever really cared. You’ve refused to bend to tradition since birth. You always took what the elders tried to teach you and stood it on its head. That is your true power, Akihito, and it will save our people. Your spirit will pierce the darkness and forever lighten the shadows. You are the willow and the fire._

_You will find the original request for reparations in the scroll next to the this letter. Please don’t be angry with me. I knew what the vision spoken at your birth really meant once I read it. I also knew you were too young. Ten is far too little to place the burden of our throne upon your shoulders. I had thought to give you time by my initial refusal. Instead my stubbornness brought war to our borders._

_I pray as I write this, not for forgiveness for my decisions for I’m not certain that even knowing this is the outcome I would change them. Even amid the storm of war you have bent and twisted to meet their swells headlong. Your fire has grown and though I had hoped to last until you were eighteen I must concede you are now ready._

_Go meet your destiny Akihito but remember everything choice I made was from love._

_Takaba Hachi_

Aki wiped at his eyes. All the words he’d hoped to hear from his taciturn grandfather lay in his hands. Years of believing he wasn’t worthy of the title his birth had bestowed upon him the thoughts that had driven him to be better than even the Alphas around him were washed under the feelings pulled forth from the letter. The calm his soul sought and the peace his omega side desired but that he’d never found before filled his body with his grandfather’s finial words.

His plan had been formed before he’d read the words of his grandfather. He knew instinctually what had to be done to end the war at his people’s doors. He bowed once towards his grandfather before snatching the rolled parchment from the low table and striding from the room.

\---------------------------------

Ryuichi landed with lightening and claws upon the stone wall of Sutāfaiyā’s capital city. It was named Takaba for its rulers. The phoenix by nature were not traitorous people. Yuri Arbatov’s actions alone had not actually brought them to this day. It was, in fact, King Takaba’s refusal of reparations that caused them to clash on the battle field.

Sion would not have kept the prince regent from his throne. Dragons were not built to rule the free spirited Phoenix. His people were warriors while the phoenix were farmers, artist, and philosophers. His country’s power was in his people’s teeth and claws. The pheonix’s strength lay in magic. It was why they’d met nearly no resistance once the magic barrier closing off their kingdom from the rest of the island broke.

It had been a need to seize the ability to secure the rights to venture past the magical veil that had even spurred his original request. Yuri Arbatov’s head had rested on a pike outside the Sion castle for the past six years. There had been no need for this war and even his people were tired.

_Search among the bright feathers of autumn._

He crouched on the wall top trying to once again bring his mind back to the battle, or lack thereof if he was honest. The pitiful attempts to block his forces had been delaying tactics. He could tell from his perch the city was empty of life.

The vision flooded his brain the words once again filing the darkness of his mind. It drove him in a way nothing else had ever done so. At first he’d not understood what the vision was. Dragons were prone to them whenever something important was about to happen in their lives.

For the first several months he’d believed the words were a portent to seeking revenge on his father’ murder. So he’d declared war and marched his armies across the mountains that split the island and played a large part in Sion’s and Sutāfaiyā’s normal peace.

Each night he dreamed the words and the darkness swamped his senses. Then they’d crossed the mountains and he’d led his troops through the great forest towards the lowlands of the phoenix the dream changed. These days a tiny blue flame lightened the darkness while his father’s voice boomed.

Sometime the flame flickered wildly as if buffered by stormy winds. Asami was always compelled to stand over roaring in defiance of the unseen attackers and seeking to protect the light that accompanied his father’s last words.

Other times the flame was huge and its heat nearly scorched Asami’s thoughts. Then he would curl around the flame pressing his desire to comfort and calm the flam’s rage. Those times his father’s words were often drowned by the flame’s crackle.

It had only taken a few short weeks of those dreams for Asami to understand what his father’s words really meant. The east held his mate. Among the magical phoenix a bright azure flame grew. The phoenix would be loath to part with it. For blue phoenix were the only creatures known to heal with their fire instead of burn.

It was that which had spurred his attempt to stop the war by seeking official reparations and demanding the heir apparent of the Takaba throne in return for withdrawing his troops from their borders. He’d planned to enter negotiations which would have allowed the young boy to stay with the Takaba’s in exchange for his ability to freely visit their lands.

Instead, king Takaba Hachi had refused to even discuss reparations warning Asami that any attempts to breach his magical defenses would result in defeat. So Asami sat and stewed bitter with the desire to cross in the lands of the phoenix and seek out his mate.

It drove him to make a pact with the most unlikely of allies and accept the proposal of Sudo Shu one of Yuri Arbatov’s bastard sons. Sudo would weaken King Takaba’s magic in exchange for Asami leaving the throne of the Takaba’s to him. Asami had agreed with the stipulation that he be allowed to keep any phoenix he wanted for himself in trade.

It wasn’t a deal that made him particularly happy; he was just glad that Sudo had not understood the fine print of the deal. He held no haterid towards the phoenix race. How could he when his mate was one of them. Sudo could have the throne and the land that came with it. He was taking the entire phoenix population back across the mountain with him the royal family included.

There he’d be able to spend time with each one and discover his mate. Once mated the Pheonix would be his people to care for anyway. He had no issues with the Takaba ruling the phoenix on dragon land and should the phoenix king wish to take back his lands from Sudo Shu well no one would blame Asami for siding with the people of his mate.

Still the plan wouldn’t work if there were no phoenix to take back with him. The streets were empty and thought Shu had promised the city and its people were his for the taking there wasn’t a soul to be found. He was even more leery of Sudo’s plans now trusting his gut that the young bastard son of Yuri had laid some sort of trap.

He roared his anger across the empty streets shaking their foundations and causing dust to whip about the lanes and storefronts. He took wing and sped towards the Takaba palace.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akihito exited the palace as a bellowing roar filled the city. He knew that the king of the dragons was angry the focus of his rage had escaped. It didn’t matter. The dragon would soon have something else to focus on.

He had already removed his tabi at the door. Now as he crossed the wide parade grounds of the palace he removed his obi and kimono allowing them to fall as he walked. The scroll from the dragon king fell to the wayside as well.

It was hard for him to call his phoenix another skill he’d never quite mastered. His grandfather had been able to slip from form to form effortlessly. The man had even been able to remain clothed as he did so. Akihito was always forced to slip off his to even start the change. He closed his eyes as the last piece of his clothing dropped away the warmth of his flames pressing against his body.

He never saw the large ballista that fired from the castle turret. He did hear the laughing voice of Sudo Shu. “You fell for it Asami! You lost to a wolf!”

A bellow of rage and pain sounded across the parade grounds. Akihito’s eyes snapped open. A large arrow protruded from the joint where the dragon king’s wing met his back. Bright red blood gushed from the wound.

There were no thoughts in Akihito’s head as he screamed and rose into the air. HE rushed to wrap his azure fire about the dragon his tears turning to sapphires as he cried.

Sudo cheered. “That’s it Akihito! Kill the bastard!” Sudo’s voice changed as Akihito’s flames died out.

The ballista slid from Asami’s body as the wound stitched itself shut and the blood stopped flowing. Angry words of “NO!” and “How?!” now sounded from the castle as Asami shrunk to his human from a silver, white, and azure phoenix upon his arm.

Asami stroked the bird’s feathered head gently. “Now I understand. It is ok Akihito; I will not be taking you from your people. Rest little one while I deal with this traitor.”

Akihito wearily nodded and flapped to the top of the flag pole resting his wings and recovering his magical strength. He screamed again though when another ballista few from the turret. He need not have worried though. For now that Asami was prepared he merely opened his mouth. Bright gold lightening intercepted the large arrow blowing it to pieces before finishing its arc to the turret.

Sudo Shu’s body fell from the opening and the tower blew apart.

Relief flooded Akihito’s body as he watched Sudo fall. He spiraled down to his mate changing back to his human form just as his talons touch the ground. His hadajuban wrapped about his shoulders as large arms gathered him close.

He was furious and poked the large chest directly over the man’s heart, “Never do that again! I thought he’d kill you with that ballista! Your human form doesn’t have the armor your dragon has! I can’t heal death!”

Asami just laughed as he ran his hands soothingly across Akihito’s body, “Very well little one. I promise to not face down a crazy ballista firing wolf ever again.”

Akihito narrowed his eyes then huffed, “Next time I may just decide you deserve it.”

Asami chuckled then lowered his lips to capture Akihito’s lips. He whispered against their softness after the kiss, “Oh, little bird, I have no doubts you’ll believe I’ll deserve it. I also know you’ll heal me anyway. Come it is time to collect your people.”

With that he stepped back and transformed into his dragon and for the first time since becoming king his roar was joined by the scream of his mate.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They laid Akihito’s grandfather next to the old Takaba’s mate. The funeral was followed by the phoenix swearing allegiance to Asami and Takaba equally as part of the country’s ransom and the dragons doing so as part of their traditions. The king’s mate always equal partner in draconic politics.

The phoenix magically repaired the castle and the whole city was renamed Doragonfezā after Asami and Akihito’s joining of the thrones. It was a name that had Asami chuckling each time he said it. At least it did until three years later when their first child transformed for the first time. His Alpha son was shapped like a dragon but covered in distinctly bright silver, white, and azure feather patterned scales. Dragon Feathers indeed.


End file.
